Death from Drug Overdose Now Outnumbers Traffic Fatalities

Posted by Pat Olsen on October 07, 2011

Every so often you read about the number of traffic fatalities in an area. The newspaper may report that they’ve been increasing or decreasing, as the case may be. If traffic deaths aren’t disturbing enough, then here’s another bit of news: Drug deaths [from overdoses] now outnumber traffic deaths in the U.S.Argue with judge.jpg

That’s an actual headline from a September L.A. Times article. If that wasn’t enough to catch readers’ interest, a couple of paragraphs surely did:

“Drugs exceeded motor vehicle accidents as a cause of death in 2009, killing at least 37,485 people nationwide, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While most major causes of preventable death are declining, drugs are an exception. The death toll has doubled in the last decade, now claiming a life every 14 minutes. By contrast, traffic accidents have been dropping for decades because of huge investments in auto safety.”

One of the two journalists that broke the story then did an interview with NPR.

Many of these deaths result when people—often young people—mix prescription pain pills or anxiety medication with other drugs or alcohol. That’s reminiscent of Joan’s post on “Xanax and Alcohol – Taking Two Monsters at a Time.”

One teen featured in the article mixed Zoloft, two additional anti-anxiety drugs, morphine, pot and other drugs.

The article reminded me of steps different states are taking to try and save lives of people that OD. Washington and New Mexico have passed a law that frees people from suffering legal consequences if someone they’re with overdoses and they call for help. Now a family in my state, NJ, is seeking a drug immunity law after their son died because no one called for help for him when he OD’d on heroin.

One non-profit has found that “accidental drug overdoses cause the death of more than 26,000 Americans every year.”  The laws are a ray of hope in a bad situation. Hopefully all states will have them soon.

 

Never Mix, Never Worry: F.D.A. Limiting Painkillers

Posted by Pat Olsen on February 13, 2011

The New York Times recently reported that the F.D.A. is restricting prescription painkillers in the hope that people will stop getting overdoses of acetaminophen. The problem arises when people take prescription drugs containing acetaminophen together with over-the-counter pills like Extra Strength Tylenol (which also contain the medication). 

 

In 2005 an F.D.A advisory panel wanted to see a ban on Percocet and Vicodin, but the F.D.A didn’t support that advice then or now. Instead, the organization has ruled that manufacturers have three years to take these prescription drugs off the market or reformulate them.  Under the new restrictions, the pills can contain 325 mgs. of acetaminophen and that’s it. This means that the pills will have less than half the potency they now have. 

 

Extra Strength Tylenol has more than 325 mg. of acetaminophen and the same advisory panel actually wanted to ban this medication, too. The F.D.A. declined but left the door open for future action.

 

We’ll be seeing more definitive warning labels on Percocet and Vicodin about the possible overdoses. 

 

These steps will make medication safer. People have to be careful even with products like Tylenol (also known as paracetamol and APAP), since the article warns that even recommended doses of acetaminophen can cause liver damage in some people.  

 

From the article: “More than 400 peoppills.jpgle die and 42,000 are hospitalized every year in the U.S. from overdoses.” It can happen when you take one medication containing acetaminophen for one type of pain, and another for pain elsewhere or maybe for cold symptoms.   

 

It’s interesting to read the different opinions. A director of the Neuromedicine Pain Management Center at the University of Rochester said that if the FDA had banned Vicodin and Percocet, patients seeking pain relief would have just gone to other “equally risky” pain relief. The current actions give the F.D.A. more time to study the problem. A professor of internal medicine at Southwestern Medical School in Dallas wants to see the two prescription drugs banned because people take greater amounts as they become more tolerant.  A Johnson & Johnson spokesperson stood up for Extra-Strength Tylenol, while drug company Abbott said it is determining how to comply.  

 

The F.D.A. has a tough job. Prescription medications help countless numbers of people, but they also have risks and side effects. You constantly have to educate yourself on the benefit-risk ratio.